Power Failure
by sissyHIYAH
Summary: Quistis and Seifer locked in a classroom with no power. My, oh, my. Smutty hijinks and as always, a lot of cussin'.


Note: My first attempt at FFVIII smut. I wanted to try a sweet romantic smutty story before I tried anything kinky. It gets a little descriptive, but not too bad. I'm a firm believer in leaving things like this to the imagination, but I've been so abusive to both Q and S for so long that I thought they needed a vacation from my bitchy spells. Anyway, rated M even without the sex because, like in all of my fics, I cuss like a motherfucking sailor.

(And thanks to Aurenare for that push in the sinful direction. It's not the whips and chains scene I want for _Cards_, but I thought I'd try this to see how it goes.)

Song lyrics: _Criminal _by Fiona Apple. I heard this song for the first time in ages and I thought it suited Quistis and Seifer. I very rarely underline anything because I find it distracting, but I did it in this fic to separate character thoughts, which are in italics, from song lyrics, which are underlined.

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_If they insist on having another ball, then the bastards could at least stay in the ballroom. Sure, the rain is terrible and they wanted to have the dance in the quad, but that doesn't mean that they can traipse over the entire campus. Some of us have work to do. _Sighing loudly, Quistis Trepe turned up the volume on her mp3 player so she could drown out the squeaking footprints of would-be stealthy students and the roar of the storm pounding at the outer walls of Balamb Garden. The secret area must have been crowded indeed if they were trying to sneak into the second floor classrooms for their forbidden rendezvous'. Faculty guards had been assigned to watch the hallways leading to the dorms, so students were forced to find other, less-comfortable nooks for their hurried necking sessions.

Humming along with her music, she marked another test and added it to the stack of completed work to her left.

_"I've been a bad, bad girl_

_I've been careless with a delicate man_

_And it's a sad, sad world_

_When a girl can break a boy just because she can..."_

Quistis allowed herself a smug grin. The students would be disappointed to find that the only unlocked classroom was occupied by one of the strictest instructors in Garden history. She had always been a smart girl. Being terminated once because of lax discipline and friendly student/teacher relations was enough to teach her a very important lesson. She loved her job too much to ever make that mistake again. This Instructor Trepe followed the Garden handbook to the letter.

Another red mark and another disappointing grade for a lazy student...

_Let's see...four points off for penmanship_

_Junctioning is not spelled with a k. God, they really are idiots..._

_'Esuna is most effective when used in situations where status effects can cause...' _

_So far, so good. _

_'...but there is no known cure for the spell cast by the lovely Instructor Trepe when she...' _

_Bloody hell, another damned love letter. I'll strangle the next Trepie that sends me such a corny..._

The automatic doors zipped open and two slobbering students tumbled into her classroom, undressing each other even as they crashed into her desk. The high squeals of their wet shoes and the loud smacking sounds of their sloppy kisses jerked her from her test-grading reverie in a way that grated on her nerves. If they were going to interrupt her, they could at least be classy about it. Disgusted, she hit the pause button and waited for the students to realize that their little date had just become a very uncomfortable _menage-a-trois_.

The dark-haired boy laughed when he tore his jacket off and knocked a carefully placed stack of papers to the floor. Pulling his tongue out of his partner's mouth, he joked about how much workaholic Trepe would enjoy the extra bit of work. His girlfriend giggled until she heard a sharp _tap_ from the other end of the desk. "Oh fuck! Honey, we..."

Quistis tapped her pen on the tabletop and smiled sweetly at the pair. Gesturing at the rather unimpressive lump under his boxers, she calmly stated, "Cadet, you might want to put that away. If it shrinks anymore, you might lose track of it completely." The girl blushed and clumsily buttoned her uniform while the young man tried to apologize to Instructor Trepe. "Umm... Sorry Instructor! We, uh, we didn't know that you worked so late!"

"Obviously not. Is the ball over so early?"

"W-well, no, but..."

"Then I suggest you return before I escort you there myself." Quistis felt her eyebrows draw together when the stuttering pair bent to pick up her scattered papers. It had taken her the better part of two hours to get those graded and ordered so that she could return them to her 0800 class. "And if you don't leave those exams where they lay, then I'll not give you a chance to get dressed before I take you down to that ballroom. Get dressed and get the hell out."

Lifting her glasses long enough to rub her tired eyes, Quistis listened to the unhappy couple's rapid squeaks as they fled her classroom. Since she was almost finished with the paperwork for her second class period, she decided to complete it before she picked up the papers on the floor. One thing at a time...

Damn it. Why did they have to make such a mess? The male student had left his jacket in his hurry to flee her furious blue gaze and it's presence irked Quistis. Turning her music back up, she shook her head and returned her attention to her work.

Humph. Mouthy bastard. Just because she was thorough didn't mean that she was a workaholic. And just because he thought that he was going to score with that giggling redhead; that sure as hell didn't give him the right to leave his clothes everywhere.

And no, she wasn't jealous, thank you very much.

Thunder crashed and Quistis turned her music up again. It was no use. The storm was a monster, seemingly bent on having it's voice heard over her music. Surrendering to the fact that the entire world meant for her to leave her work unfinished, she tossed the mp3 player into a drawer and crammed her papers into a folder. She would just wake up earlier than normal and finish before class started.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Quistis groaned. Almost midnight and she still had enough work to occupy her for two hours. She dreaded heading back to her lonely dorm and listening to the storm. She had trouble sleeping on the best of nights, so she knew that the combination of thunder, lightning, and her bitchy mood would keep her awake for hours. _Fuck. I hate thunder in the first place and now I get to go home and jump all night. It wouldn't be so bad if I at least had some company, but everybody will be at that dance until...eep!_

The mouth of the heavens opened and bellowed a curse to the earth below. Quistis clutched her folder to her chest until the powerful rumbling faded, releasing a shaky breath and laughing at herself. _Company? Hell, I'd even take a goldfish. At least I wouldn't spend the night alone again. God, that little fucker was right. I wonder if they have rehab clinics for workaholics. _

Lightning struck somewhere way too fucking close for comfort and Quistis yelped, dropping her folder to the floor. Muttering to herself, she fell to her knees and tried to sort through the mess tossed over most of the floor and under her desk. The howling wind joined the thunder in it's quest to make Quistis a loudly cursing nervous wreck. So powerful was the storm that she didn't hear the heavy clomp of muddy boots as a tall man entered her classroom and turned the manual lock for the automatic doors, effectively sealing them away from any potential intruders.

Nodding in satisfaction when he decided that he would be able to talk with the instructor with no distractions, the man turned to the desk and was pleasantly surprised to see a short skirt riding up a nicely toned pair of legs. If Garden had ever done one thing right, then it was allowing the female soldiers to wear such tiny excuses for uniforms. Seeing the haughty instructor on her knees with her skirt almost to her waist was well worth breaking into Balamb Garden and risking arrest. He was impressed.

"Is this what you always do for fun when the rest of the school is at a party?"

Quistis froze. She hadn't heard that voice for three years...

"I mean...wow. You have one hell of a nice ass. I might have shown up for that after-school tutoring you suggested if I had known that you..."

"Shut the hell up, Almasy." Quistis looked over her shoulder and met the laughing gaze of her former student. Well, she tried to meet his gaze. Those teasing green eyes were indeed focused squarely on her ass. Quickly rising to her feet, she brushed off her hands and glared as fiercely as she could at recently pardoned war criminal Seifer Almasy. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Currently? Trying to fight off a _major_ hard-on. I'm serious, Instructor. I had forgotten that you have such long legs that..."

"Drop it. I don't want to hear any of your sick attempts at... humor." It was always difficult to verbally spar with Seifer, but Quistis found herself having more trouble than usual. _God, I really am lonely if I'm beginning to think that Seifer Almasy is remotely attractive, but..._

He was completely soaked. The t-shirt clinging to his torso revealed every ridge of muscle from his solid shoulders to his perfectly flat abdomen. _The rain must be terrible if his clothes are so wet. His pants look heavy. They must be soaked to hang so low that I can see...oh fuck me..._Quistis jerked her eyes from his partially exposed hip crests to the knowing smirk plastered on his face. A droplet of water fell from his hair and slowly crept down his cheek, finally disappearing when it landed on his lower lip. For one brief, insane second, she felt slightly envious of that water drop as Seifer's tongue escaped long enough to catch it.

Shaking her head, Quistis continued, "You know very well what I meant. Why are you here? I read about your pardon by the Galbadian government, but surely you know that Trabia Garden and the Balamb city council have yet to forgive you. You'll be arrested if you're caught by..."

"Arrested if I'm caught?" Seifer grinned and took a step towards Quistis. She refused to take a step backwards, instead crossing her arms and leaning her hips against her desk. There was no way in hell that she was going to let that bastard know that he bothered her being so close. No way in hell, not even if he continued to look at her with those striking green eyes. Nope. Not even if leaned on the desk next to her and was obviously enjoying the scent of her perfume and pressing his wet thigh against hers and...

"Yes. Arrested."

"Well, maybe that's why I'm here. I was bored and I wanted to see how good security was at good old Balamb Garden. It's been a long time since I've found a decent challenge." _Plus, I wanted to visit my favorite little instructor, but I didn't really think that I'd find you. I figured you'd be married to a fucking CEO...or be the CEO yourself. But you're still in the same classroom, grading the same exams, wearing that same uniform...Goddamn, your legs look good in that skirt..._

_"I've come to you 'cause I need guidance to be true_

_And I don't know where I can begin..."_

"Please, Seifer. I know better than that. You've always been a risk taker, but you've never been a fool." She grinned when the air conditioning system kicked on and blew a cold stream of air onto their heads. Good. He looked miserable. That's what he deserved for dripping water all over her papers. He shivered slightly and a part of her wanted to wrap her arms around his body to stop those nearly invisible tremors.

"Alright, Trepe. Maybe I'm here because I ran out of gas and I just happened to be in the neighborhood. Instead of walking all the way into town, I thought I would see if my favorite instructor would give me a _ride_..."

She blushed at the emphasis at the end of his sentence, but not nearly as much as when he pulled his shirt over his head and twisted it, squeezing the water into the floor. _He's freezing and he's wet and he's half-naked and right next to you and you could slide just a little closer...did he really just say 'ride'? _Imagination wrested control from logic and Quistis began thinking things she hadn't thought of since Selphie described a few of Irvine's favorite tricks over lunch one day. She was fairly sure that a few of them were illegal, but suddenly, illegal seemed _very _tempting. And the closest illegal thing happened to be the over six feet of muscle, green eyes, and dangerous charisma sitting next to her, trying to pretend that he wasn't cold. "Umm. I don't think that..." The blush deepened and she felt her cheeks burn.

It really was a very attractive blush. Seifer wondered if he could make other parts of her turn that shade of pink. "...to the nearest gas station, of course." Reaching behind her, he grabbed the abandoned cadet jacket and tried to wipe off some of the water that was making his teeth chatter. It didn't make a very good towel, but at least it absorbed some of the water. "Or maybe it's because I just destroyed my files so that the prosecution will have one fewer piece of evidence when my trial is heard by the Trabians."

_"What I need is a good defense, 'cause I'm feeling like a criminal_

_And I need to be redeemed from the one I sinned against_

_'Cause he's all I ever knew of love..."_

"You did _what? _Why the hell are you telling me this? I could inform the headmaster and..."

Seifer growled. "But you won't. Come on, Trepe. You know that I'm fucked because of that missile strike. It would be different if I knew that they were going to execute me, but they won't. They want to see me suffer, so they'll work me to death in one of those icy fucking prison camps." Seifer continued to dry his chest and arms, wishing that he had a decent towel and a change of clothes. That air conditioning was fucking _cold. _

Noticing the lipstick on the coat collar, he felt his hands clench around the fabric. That shade of red didn't suit her at all, so why the fuck would it be on her boyfriend's jacket? Unless... what a fucking dick. Surprising her with the serious tone in his voice, he muttered, "Hey Trepe. You might want to put a leash on your boyfriend. It looks like he's..."

"What?" Quistis looked up from her sidelong admiration of Seifer's arms. She cursed herself when she saw that _he _saw her checking out his biceps. Bloody hell. "Boyfriend? What the hell are you talking about, Almasy?"

He held the lipstick stained garment up so she could see the garish red circling the collar. "This red is way too fucking tacky for you, so I know it wasn't you sucking on this loser's neck. It looks like your boyfriend is getting a little ass on the side." Angrily throwing the jacket to the floor, he met Quistis' startled blue eyes. Goddamn it, she was fucking beautiful. Seifer began to wonder if coming to this classroom was a huge mistake. She was right. He really could be arrested simply for being on Garden property, thus breaking one of the conditions of his parole. His mission was accomplished when he destroyed his file in the records office, so he should have left a long time ago.

He silently cursed his curiosity. He had been unable to exit by the same broken window he used earlier when a huge gust of wind and water had blown him back into the building. He actually planned on riding the storm out in a closet, but after only ten minutes of impatient waiting, he simply decided that he'd rather be arrested than bored. Taking the back staircase used by the cleaning staff, he had noticed the soft glow of light halfway down the second floor hallway. Rightly figuring that his former instructor was working late again, he had a sudden overwhelming desire to see how she was doing.

He wished that he had never entered her classroom. Nothing about her had changed. Nothing at all and that was a huge fucking problem. She was still blonde, still drop-dead gorgeous, and still able to drive him crazy. What a bitch.

"If I were you, I'd tear the cheating bastard's nutsack off before I'd let him touch me again."

"Who?" Quistis was very confused. Why was he so pissed off about that cadet's jacket?

"Didn't you see that lipstick all over his collar?" _Damn, Trepe. Are you that blind? This red looks like it belongs on a clown. I fucking know it's not your color. Some dumb fuck is screwing some other chick while you work late. And you even have his coat on your damned desk. Why do you always have to pick losers that don't fucking appreciate you? "_Don't tell me that...why are you laughing?"

Quistis wiped a tear from her eye, suddenly realizing the reason for his anger. "That belongs to a cadet that I just reprimanded for being out of his dorm after hours."

"So...it doesn't belong to your boyfriend?"

Quistis raised a single eyebrow, almost touched by his concern. He had always adhered to a strange set of rules. It was perfectly fine for him to nearly destroy the entire planet, kill thousands of people while being controlled by a mad sorceress, and it was just dandy if he caused damage to Garden property in a breaking and entering attempt; it was another thing altogether for someone to _lie. _There were rules and then there were rules. Some were meant to be broken and some were meant to be followed no matter the cost. Quistis wondered what might have happened to her old student if circumstances had been different. Even after all this time, he still worried that someone was being less-than-chivalrous with her. "You know me better than that, Seifer. Even if I was seeing someone, I would never allow him to...EEP!"

Lightning split the sky once more and the power flickered off. Quistis jumped when the resulting thunder made the pens on her desk rattle and bounce. Seifer almost laughed, amused that the heroine of the Sorceress War, one who had seen blood and carnage since she was a child, one who could sip tea and read the newspaper even while bombs were exploding just feet from her camp; it was funny as hell that she was scared of storms. "That is one hell of a storm, eh? Loudest motherfucker I've heard in a while."

"Yeah. Loud. Storm."

"My, my, my, Instructor. You're starting to sound like Fujin. Only difference is, her and Raj are probably out dancing in this weather. They're kind of funny when it comes to storms. They fucking love 'em." Seifer grinned. "I never see Fu smile unless the weather is gnarly. Raj smiles all the time, but it's different when Fu smiles with him." If he was willing to admit it, Seifer was jealous of his friends. They were happy. Happiness was something that Seifer had long ago decided wasn't meant for him. Thankfully, Fujin wasn't one prone to outward displays of affection, so he never even really thought of them as a couple anymore. At least not until it stormed. He would have been grateful that he had left them behind at their hotel room, had he not been so close to such a distracting woman. Fucking hell. It had been too damned long since he had been laid if he was allowing himself to lust after Quistis Trepe. Again. God, it was just like being in class. "They're certainly not afraid of a little thunder."

"F-fuck you."

She jumped again when Seifer ran his fingers along the length of her spine. "That's not very nice, Instructor. I can't help it if you're scared of..."

"I am _not _scared!"

Seifer continued rubbing her back, surprised that she hadn't tried to break his hand off at the wrist. More than surprised, actually. "Hmm...well, _something_ is making you shake an awful lot. I'd like to think that you're trying to contain your animal lusts because you can't stand sitting so close to me without throwing me on this desk and licking my..."

"Fine. I don't like storms. I get nervous and shake like crazy whenever I hear thunder. Happy now?" Son of a bitch. The bastard had always been able to read her without even trying. Quistis was glad that the power had been knocked out by the storm. At least the darkness shielded her flaming cheeks from his penetrating stare. It would never do at all for him to know that similar shameful thoughts had been slinking through her mind since she had gotten a good look at him.

Would she kill him? Eh...probably. It was as good a day to die as any. A challenge indeed...he hadn't really lied when he was teasing Trepe. It had been a while since he met his equal on any sort of playing field. Grinning, Seifer yanked the clip from her hair and tossed it across the classroom. Long strands tumbled over his hand and Seifer wrapped his fingers in her hair. He wanted the lights to come back on so he could see the way his fingers looked with that gold around them and he really wanted to see the shock in her beautiful blue eyes.

"What the hell are you..."

Jerking her closer to him, Seifer growled in her ear, "As a matter of fact, no. I'm not happy, Trepe. I don't want to know that you're shaking because you're scared of a storm. I _want_ to hear you say that you are so fucking glad to see me that you are shaking from excitement. I _want_ to hear you say that you are shaking because you are happy to see me alive and well. I _want _you..." _Goddamn it. I've always wanted you and you've been in love with icicle dick Squall for so long that you can't even see it. I want you to fucking see me, you snobby bitch._

Snarling, Quistis tried to pull away, but Seifer twisted his wrist and turned her face towards his, certain that she would have a scowl on her pretty features. He placed his other hand on her cheek and ran his thumb over her lips, smiling slightly when he felt the warmth from her breath. "Even though it's dark as hell in here, I want you to look at me, Trepe."

"Seifer, I don't think that..." Quistis went from mild surprise to full panicked terror when Seifer kissed her. The last time she had been kissed was on a date with a Galbadian senator who had clearly spent more time in board rooms than with women. Clumsy and timid, he had tried to make sure that she wasn't offended by his manners, finally breaking the disappointing kiss when he answered an important call on his cell. She had actually been glad for the interruption. Quistis wondered what the hell was wrong with her at the time, angry that none of the men she dated were willing to treat her like a woman instead of some crystal vase. Or a political chess piece.

She obviously wasn't going to have that problem with Seifer. She tried to catch her breath as his cold lips warmed against hers and his teeth nipped at her lower lip. _What the hell is he doing? What the hell am I doing? Oh God, what are we doing? _It was wrong and they could be caught at any moment, not to mention the fact that Seifer was a man still wanted for war crimes in at least fourteen countries. Quistis wanted to him to stop, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him no. Placing her hands on his chest, she gently pushed him back so that she could at least make him listen to reason.

_"Heaven help from the way that I am_

_Save me from these evil deeds before I get them done..."_

"Seifer, don't you think that..."

"Shut up."

Quistis would have been offended, but it was difficult when he kissed her again, exploring her mouth with his tongue and chasing all ghosts of reason from her brain. And truthfully, she kind of liked how deep his voice was when he growled at her like that. Thunder rolled across the night sky but Quistis didn't hear it over the sound of Seifer's breathing.

Standing from the desk, he moved directly in front of her and leaned on her reclined form, tracing his tongue along her throat until he met the fabric barrier of her uniform. Quistis felt cool air on her chest and arms when he hastily snapped the silver clasps on her SeeD jacket, popping them open and tearing it from her shoulders. Frightened, she tried to move, but he held tight, running his hands along her arms and toying with her opened jacket. A faint hint of perfume reached his nostrils and followed the scent until the tip of his nose skimmed the smooth skin of her throat.

Summer and warmth and honeysuckle nectar; whatever she was wearing made his head spin. He lightly licked between her throat and collarbone, amused that she was trying to both pull him closer and force him off of her. He smiled against her skin, holding her hands down on the desk top so she was unable to push him away.

Had he been anyone else forcing her hands to her sides, she might have been worried that he meant her harm, but Seifer simply wasn't like that. For all his faults, even the teasing and insults, he had always treated her like a lady. Except now. With his greedy mouth on hers and his chest brushing her breasts, he was treating her as the woman that everyone else seemed to fear.

Once again, Seifer cursed the power outage. Quistis was surprisingly receptive to his advances and he wanted to see her face and reactions. He also wanted to see her amazing body completely free of that ghastly uniform. Dropping his mouth to her shoulders, he continued to hold her hands behind her back while he pressed her body into his.

"Seifer?" Quistis felt her skirt sticking to her thighs where Seifer had leaned into her and his wet pants had soaked the fabric. She could feel his erection against her hips and she knew that she had to stop before they went too far.

"Hmm?"

"Let...let go of me." Fun was fun, but she had too much work to do. And she was terrified of how much she was enjoying herself.

He wanted to tell her no; he had dreamed about fucking her on that desk top since the first day of class so long ago. He wanted to tell her never; he was going to keep holding her like that because she felt so damned good. He wanted to say so many things, but he yielded, releasing her hands with a loud string of curses. He hadn't meant to behave like a man just released from years of confinement, but now that his dick was throbbing against his jeans, he certainly wasn't going to tell her that. "You know, you could have stopped me a long fucking time ago instead of..."

_"I know tomorrow brings the consequence at hand_

_But I keep living this day like the next will never come..."_

"I tried! I'm not as strong as you, you horny fuck!"

"Bullshit! All you had to say was, 'Gee, thanks but no thanks. I'll just go back to my room and have my nightly meeting with my buzzing boyfriend.' You seemed like you were having a hell of a good time until just a second ago!"

Quistis slapped him. "You asshole! I was trying to _work _until I was so _rudely _interrupted. Did you really think that I would just...that I would want to..." Well, she _did_, but that wasn't the point.

"No! I didn't fucking think! I came by to see how you were doing and you fucking looked at me and I..." Seifer wanted to punch her. She was still half-naked and her hair smelled so fucking good and she was _still _looking right at him.

"You jerk! You were begging me to look at you!" Considering that she had to keep her hands on his hips just to have a rough idea of his position in the darkened room, she wondered how he could tell that she hadn't taken her eyes from him. "How did you even know? There isn't a damned bit of light in this whole fucking school!"

"I just knew!" Placing his palms on her belly, Seifer caressed her skin, smiling when he felt the gooseflesh under his fingers. "You're looking at me now."

How the hell did he know? Quistis couldn't see a damned thing, but she thought that she might melt if he continued to touch her like that. "I-I am not!"

Seifer kissed her again, furiously smothering her protests with his lips. Breath jagged when he pulled away, he said, "I can tell when you look at me, Trepe. I've always been able to tell. You used to watch me in class to make sure I wouldn't hurt your precious little Squall, and you used to watch me when I trained because you knew I was better than him. I scared you."

"You did not."

"I scare you now." Seifer pulled the zipper on the side of her skirt and tugged it below her hips, kicking it out of the way when it hit the floor. "I frighten you, Trepe."

Her breath caught in her throat when he stepped between her knees and slowly slid one hand along her inner thigh. She tried to keep the whimper from her voice when his fingers danced just outside of her panties, but heard herself fail as he gently tugged them past her hips. "You...you do not." _You do. You always have. Now more than ever. _

Seifer felt his fingers enveloped in sudden heat and he knew that Quistis was no longer looking at him. She was laying back on the desk, eyes clinched shut, chest rising and falling with every shuddering breath. "I don't what?"

"God, just..shut up. I can't..."

Seifer continued to slide his hand against her, inside her, stroking her inner walls while she breathed harder and harder. His thumb fluttered over a particular spot and Quistis gasped, rising to her elbows and looking straight at him, trying to meet his eyes in the darkness.

"I don't what?"

"You don't frighten me, Seifer."

"Good. Now, keep looking at me." He groaned when she hooked the back of his thigh with her calf and pulled him even closer. Inhaling sharply, he felt her shift so that she could grab his wrists and pull him down with her. Her hands flirted with his belt loops and he cursed when she suddenly grabbed the belt and pulled herself to a sitting position.

Arms around his chest and legs around his hips, she lightly kissed his skin and tasted rainwater from the storm. Lips on his chest, she muttered, "I'm trying but I can't see..."

Should he? Fuck it. Too late now. "I want to see you look at me the same way you look at Leonhart."

Quistis released a soft sigh when he said this. Had he always...?

Moving her farther back on the desk, Seifer kissed her again, fighting her for control when she kissed him back. Two pairs of hands fought over his belt; he eventually tore the leather strap from his jeans as she unbuttoned his fly. Growling, somehow angry at each other for conceding the belt battle, they pushed and shoved until test papers had been crumpled underfoot and Quistis had managed to flip Seifer onto his back. Astride his hips, smiling when he moaned, she fought for just another second of precious control before she allowed herself to lose to him. Besides, she had to make a point to the man underneath her. Sliding back enough to leave a bit of space between their loins, she teased him with her fingertips, slowing the motion of her hands to feel his pulse against her palm.

He cursed again and she searched the darkness for his face, wishing that she could see his green eyes when she tried to explain herself. "Seifer, you don't want me looking at you the same way I look at Squall."

_"I've been a bad, bad girl_

_I've been careless with a delicate man..."_

"No. I've wanted you to look at me like that for years, so you're finally going to..." Furious with himself for losing to her, he grabbed her shoulders and rolled her onto her back, pinning her to the desk by that hair he loved so much. Finally overpowering her, he positioned himself and raised one white thigh to his hip. "Just look at me, Trepe. For once in your fucking life, see what's right in front of you. That cocksucker never deserved..."

_"And it's a sad, sad world_

_when a girl can break a boy just because she can..."_

"Don't say it." Quistis raked her hands over his flanks and kissed his chest, darting her tongue over his nipples. _I can't believe that he still thinks... _"No, Seifer. You _have_ been away for a long time if you think that I still feel anything for him."

Seifer held her palm to his mouth and closed his eyes.

He was, perhaps, the purest form of a competitor. The final victory didn't matter as much as the game itself.

The rivalry between himself and Squall Leonhart had always been fierce. Both were extraordinarily skilled swordsmen, deadly and disciplined, fearless and daring. They sparred for years, on the practice field, in the classroom; neither gaining much of an advantage over the other.

With Quistis, it was different. Nobody in Garden could compete with her brains and knowledge, so Seifer settled for second place to an opponent that he could never defeat. True, he teased her unmercifully, but that was because she could fire back like nobody else had ever dared. She was beautiful and smart and the only person alive that could put him in his place. He...kind of liked it.

Then, she started teaching and the carefully constructed competition hierarchy fell apart. Suddenly, Squall had the advantage because he had the eye of Quistis. It drove Seifer mad because Squall didn't even have the balls to pursue the lovely instructor. He had the advantage and the fucker didn't even try to finish the game! He didn't want her, so the competition lost all meaning. Seifer had never been able to understand how Squall could ignore her. Never. Those perfect blue orbs would watch him, hoping for a kind word, or maybe just a nod, but Squall brushed her off every time. Seifer could have strangled them both for fucking up his entire world.

But now, she was looking at _him _and stroking his face, focusing on his unseen eyes.

"We have to see each other at faculty meetings and sometimes Rinoa invites me to their place for dinner, but I had almost forgotten that I even had that crush on him." Quistis pulled him lower and gently kissed his cheek. "You know, if you wanted to see me, you didn't have to break into the school and destroy your files."

"Yeah, but it was a hell of a lot of fun to break that window."

"God, you're such an asshole."

He laughed and murmured some sarcastic remark against her breasts, running his hands along her soft curves, down her sides, and finally grasping her hips. "Keep talking like that and I'll slap the hell out of you. Admit it..." He entered her with a low grunt and looked down, still unable to see her face in the pitch blackness. "You like the thought of me climbing through a window just to see you."

_You have NO idea, buster. _"You could have called and I would have met you somewhere for drinks or...or... Seif-Seifer..." Seifer held her close and began moving, slowly at first, sliding within her, unable to decide if she was helping the ache or making it worse. She wrapped her arms around his neck and moved with him, smiling when he muttered her name.

She hadn't heard him call her by her first name since they had taken the SeeD exam together and he had first felt the sting of defeat. She became SeeD and he failed, though she tried to tell administration that if he hadn't ignored the orders to retreat and disabled that bomb, the entire squad would have been killed. She wished that she had never opened her mouth. His pride was damaged, not because he failed the exam, but because he had seen Quistis Trepe _beg_. She didn't realize at the time that Seifer held a lot of respect for her. He knew that he was right to go back, but he never wanted to see her plead with the faculty. Not her.

Things had been different between them after that, with neither of them able to have a conversation with the other without screaming and cursing. Then came the teaching and Squall...then the Sorceress, but that...oh God, it was just too much to consider. He was with her and that was all that mattered. _You stupid fuck. You ran off and tried to take over the world and made me go bloody mad worrying about you. I should kick your ass, but instead I'm letting you nail me on my desk. I'm crazy as hell. _

He pushed deeper and she clutched his hair, biting her lip as he lifted her hips from the desk with his own. Sweating and damp, she pushed her hair out of her face and felt the first tremors of the impending cataclysm. At that point, she knew that her world would never be the same.

_Fuck it, then. I'll be crazy. _

"Seifer, if I told you that I wondered about you while you were gone, would you believe me?"

_"What would an angel say?_

_The devil wants to know..."_

Stunned, Seifer held himself within her for a moment as he absorbed her whispered words. He thought about her more than he cared to admit, but he had always known that she held nothing but contempt for him. Now, buried in her warmth and surrounded by the scent of summer, he felt himself falling all over again.

Sensing his disbelief, Quistis cupped his cheek and gently kissed his lips. "And if I told you that there were nights that I missed you, would you believe me?"

Seifer closed his eyes. Until the moment she uttered those words, he hadn't believed any of that wild night. He began pumping with a greater urgency, clutching her shoulders and exhaling her name, inhaling when she breathed his. They rocked back and forth, sliding in chaotic, fluid heat. A primal, animal rhythm in their veins thumped and hammered until the tension between them snapped and they cried aloud for each other.

The wind outside screamed, waiting for thunder to answer her indignant cries, but the heavens were silent, perhaps aware that their fury was nothing to the storm breaking between Quisits and Seifer.

Panting, Seifer rolled off Quistis, cursed loudly and had to roll right back. She grabbed his arm and tried to see him in the darkness.

"What's wrong?"

"Fucking hell! I almost rolled off the damn desk!"

Laughing, she kissed him and carefully felt for the edge of the desk so she would know where to direct him. "Here. Follow my hand...no, to your left...there. Now, try to not step on my exams."

"You never quit, do you? No post-fuck pillow talk?"

"Not when a pillow was never part of the equation. Now, find your clothes and...OW!"

Both were blinded when the lights flashed on and the air-conditioning began blowing onto their sweat-dampened skin. Blinking rapidly as he bent to retrieve their clothes, Seifer felt Quistis watching him again. It felt different than before...

"You know, it's funny Seifer. I had forgotten that there was even a storm."

"Yeah, it sounds like the worst of it is over, but it'll probably rain all fucking night."

She watched him put his damp clothes back on and try to smooth out the wrinkles. Glancing at the floor, she shook her head. She'd never be able to pass those exams out to her students. They were ruined. "Hmm. Pity. I hate storms."

"Yeah..."

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, occasionally looking at each other, wondering how to... "Seifer?"

"Hmm?"

"I, uh, think that I still hear some thunder. It's very late and everyone should be asleep, so I wondered if you might walk me to my room."

Seifer grinned. "What happened to getting arrested?"

Quistis punched Seifer in the leg. "God! I was trying to be polite! I thought you might like a shower and a chance to dry your clothes!"

"You know, for a second there, I thought you were alright, but you're still as big a bitch as ever!"

"Well, fuck you too!"

"God, if you were a man, I'd belt you across the face and..." Quistis silenced him with a solid kiss.

"You better start walking or I'll drag you to my room, Almasy. As it stands, I already have to get up very early to clean up this mess before my next class, so I need all the sleep I can get."

"What if I don't want to sleep?"

Quistis rolled her eyes. He had won the last battle, so she was determined to win this one. "Then you can come back here and clean, Mr. I'm-Not-Afraid-Of-Getting-Arrested-Because-I'm-Such-A-Badass. I'm exhausted, so I'm going to bed."


End file.
